


Waking Up

by LexLemon



Category: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
Genre: Comfort, F/F, Flashbacks, Sugar Plum deserved better, The ‘dirty rascal’ quote kills me every time, Villain Redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-18 19:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20644760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexLemon/pseuds/LexLemon
Summary: Mother Ginger comforts the Sugar Plum Fairy after a nightmare that was all too real for them both.{Takes place after A Walk Down Memory Lane}





	Waking Up

All was quiet in the Four Realms, as the land was shrouded in night. There was the occasional hoot of an owl that echoed from the forest, but it was quick to fall away and allow the land to return to the peace of evening.

Mother Ginger slept inside the Main Palace, safe in her chambers with the covers pulled up to her neck. Her body was stretched out across the bed and facing the door with only a small mumbling escaping her throat now and then. She would have been content to dream of clowns and steam-powered contraptions and laughter for the remainder of the night. But her dreams were cut short by a shrill scream from the woman beside her.

Ginger shot up in bed and looked over to see the Sugar Plum Fairy sitting beside her, her hand on her chest as she let out heavy, panting breaths.

"What? What's happened, Sugar Plum?" Ginger asked as she placed her arm around her beloved.

"Oh, it was horrible, just horrible." Sugar Plum's voice always had a wavering to it, but it now sounded more unstable than usual. "I had the most terrible nightmare."

"Oh, I can imagine. Do you remember what happened?"

Sugar Plum nodded with a whimper. "I-I was...standing before the Engine...and you were there as well. But you were in danger. You were...tied up and...being held captive by these dashing soldiers."

A small piece of Ginger remarked to herself that she would never understand her beloved's fascination with soldiers. She was quick to quiet the thought, as Sugar Plum's need for comfort was much more dire than analyzing her flaws.

The fairy continued, "I wish I could say that I tried to save you, but..." Her whimpering grew more fervent, causing her eyes to well up with tears. "But I didn't. I enjoyed watching you like that. It made me feel strong, in a way. And I said the most..._ghastly_ things to you." Sugar Plum spit out the word as if it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"I was just...so filled with hate and pride that i-it was all I could think about. And I couldn't make it go away. But you broke free and...and I believe Clara was there as well. But somehow, I ended up standing before the Engine. I-I couldn't move at all. And I could only see this purple light in my eyes and...and..."

Sugar Plum's face began to scrunch up until she couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She placed her hand over her face and sobbed as loud as she could, the sound breaking Ginger's heart. The woman's body had grown cold at having to relive that time of her life in her mind's eye, but her beloved's discovery of it frightened her the most. She had gotten hazy images of her original self now and then, but they had never been this vivid.

"Oh, my dear," Ginger soothed as she pressed Sugar Plum to her chest. She ran her fingers through her stiff, cotton candy hair, suprised to find that it never strayed from its up-do even when tossing and turning in bed. "It's alright now. You've woken up. You know that it isn't true."

"But I feel like it was." Sugar Plum picked up her head. "Oh please, Ginger. Say that it was only a dream. Tell me that wasn't who I used to be."

Ginger made a silent sigh, her mouth slanting across her face. "I wish I could."

"No, _no_!" Sugar Plum's tears resumed as she fell back into Ginger's chest. Ginger squeezed her tighter, almost crying herself as she wished she could take her pain away.

Sugar Plum choked out, "I don't want to be that person I saw."

"And you aren't, my dear, you aren't."

"But you can't be certain!" Sugar Plum pried herself free from her beloved's arms and stared at her with panic in her eyes. Her face had become much paler than usual, and there were hints of crystallized sugar on her cheeks that were left over from her tears.

"What if e-everything repeats itself? What if I become that monster all over again? Do...Do people think that I will? Do they fear me?"

Ginger's voice grew almost stern with Sugar Plum, as if she wanted her to get such nonsense out of her head. "They most certainly do not, and I know that for a fact. The Realms may have had their reservations at first, but you have done a marvelous job at showing that you've changed. I hear how kindly people speak of you now and it warms my heart when they do."

"But what if it all goes back to the way things were?"

Ginger placed her hand on Sugar Plum's shoulder, bringing the fairy to look into her eyes. "Sugar Plum, do you want to become that person again?"

“Goodness, no!" Sugar Plum pulled back from her with wide eyes, making Ginger chuckle.

"Do you believe you will become that person again?"

"Well..." Sugar Plum shifted her shoulders until she lowered her head and exhlaed. "No. In my heart, I don't."

"Then you aren't going to. You're a different person now. You're going to try your hardest to remain the kind-hearted, good person I love. You may make some mistakes along the way, but you will make certain that you won't go back to who you were. You're on the right path, Sugar Plum. And I know in my heart that you're going to stay there."

A demure smile began to appear on Sugar Plum's face, her hopeful glow slowly returning toher complexion. "Do you promise?"

"I promise."

Sugar Plum sighed in relief as she fell back into Ginger's arms. She squeezed her body tight as joy began to course within her, her eyes sealed shut and her smile stretching into a grin.

Ginger soon placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "There. Now you'll have nothing but sweet deams for the rest of the night."

"Oh, you always know just what to say." Sugar Plum picked her head up and gave Ginger a quick kiss before laying back down.

Ginger felt a smile appear on her face as she processed the sweetness that had entered her body from the kiss. Its touch told her that Sugar Plum was back to herself, and she never wanted it to go away.

As she laid back down, Ginger heard her beloved ask, "Did I really call you a dirty rascal?"

"Oh, you certainly did."

The two women found themselves laughing at the comment, the sound echoing throughout the Four Realms and bringing sweet dreams to all who needed it.


End file.
